Article updated on January 4, 2025 by Byothe
Let's not lie to ourselves, on the Internet, we find the best as well as the worst. On Byothe.fr I am constantly trying to find you the best of the web, but I must admit that the worst can sometimes also have its charm!
Some sites have the very purpose of collecting the worst that is happening on the web. Even if you consider yourself an Internet expert, be prepared to find some surprises. From the most poorly designed sites to sites offering improbable products for sale, these are websites you've probably never heard of before... and for good reason!
The 5 sites that I am going to present to you and which list the pearls of the worst are in English, but I think that you will still be able to appreciate them!
1. The World's Worst Website Ever
In the early years of the Internet, websites had strange design choices for our modern eyes. They had to pop and they were eye-catching at the risk of overloading them: scrolling text, flashing banners, big signs with site statistics... The World's Worst Website Ever (WWWE) is a little out of category, but it will make you discover everything, absolutely everything, that you should not do on a web page!
This site is ultimately nothing more than a tribute to the early days of the Internet. Full of garish colors and poorly chosen fonts, it even goes so far as to add the words "site under construction"... the old-fashioned way!
WWWE breaks all the rules of website design, and you're bound to feel assaulted. If you've been on the Internet long enough, it's a horrifying and entertaining trip down memory lane! In any case, nothing to be nostalgic about!
A link on the page will allow you to discover the list of 61 mistakes not to make on a page named new_page1.htm (yes, the vice is pushed that far!).
2. The Worst Things for Sale
There are some hidden gems on Amazon, which you can discover through Amazon's advanced search or by chance if you're lucky. But that's not all, there are products that make you doubt the future of humanity. The Worst Thing For Sale is a site that lists a new product of this kind every day.
Run by an American comic book artist, Drew, this site will allow you to relax by enjoying the worst of what you can buy online. What's better than dog beer or bacon-flavored lube?
If you are comfortable in English, you will also have a good laugh with the comments written by Drew for each of these products. Finally, if you are interested (you never know), you will have access to the Amazon page of the article by clicking on its image!
3. /r/CrappyDesign
This time, it's not really a site per se, but rather a thread on the Reddit platform. Its purpose is to list all the bad design examples that you can find on the Internet and even outside the Internet.
With over 1,6 million subscribers, you're bound to find your share of contributions and heated discussions every day! This group is slowly shifting its focus to real-life design issues, but there are still plenty of contributions about the worst interfaces for websites, games, and other technologies.
4. The Useless Web Index
The name of this site says it all since its French translation means "The directory of the useless web"! Indeed, this site aims to list all the absolutely uninteresting sites! You're going to tell me that it's subjective... but in fact, it's not!
The directory now includes more than 15 million useless, absurd or funny sites… all hand-selected with love!
Click on “Take me to a useless Website” to start the adventure!
5. Pointless Sites
Pointless Sites brings you a new useless and time-wasting site every day. The editors make sure that the sites have no pop-up ads, are original, are useless, are not offensive and will make you smile.
Unlike other sites on this list, Pointless Sites is pretty well organized and lets you search its archives by categories (Images, Games, Weird, Tools, Sound and Music…). And if you want to get straight to the point, the “Our Favorites” section lists the favorite sites of the site’s creators. Otherwise, you can go through the “Trending Top 40” which displays the Top 40 of the month!
What is the worst website you know?
I'm sure you've all come across some terrible sites. Whether it's in terms of their content, their usability... or anything else! So, don't hesitate to tell us about it below.
In any case, with these 5 sites you should be able to hold out for a while! But if you ever know of any French equivalents, don't hesitate to tell us about them in the comments for a future article!
